We went to Carolyn's to join her and Ed for a ride through the "secret gate" to Douglas Lake.  It was VERY windy, and we almost canceled.  We saddled the horses and rode around the arena for a bit to see how they were doing, then decided to go ahead and give it a try.  I was glad to have my new windproof polar fleece jacket!  Brego did fine in the arena after first doing some lateral flexion and backing up and standing still.  Stephanie was there with GB too, so Brego had other distractions, but I kept him focused on me as the leader pretty well, I think.  We took off down the street, into the wind, and I really wondered whether I wanted to go through with the ride, but knew it would be a good experience for both of us in a relatively safe environment.  We just had a lot of wind, an occasional car passing, a slick road, ditches with obstacles, cows, dogs & horses at neighboring homes,and flapping stop signs to deal with.  Did I say this was fun?  By the time we reached the dirt access road along the ditch, I was finally more relaxed.  Brego did very well under the circumstances, and took off just once--I think he tripped at the same time a gust of wind came up or something, which set him off.  At least he ran straight and not onto the slippery road, and I was able to stop him (not as quickly as I would have liked).  We survived, but I was sure glad when it was over!  I told everyone that the next time it's that windy and we wonder if we should go, my answer will be NO.  It just wasn't very fun.  At least I had the experience, and if I get caught in the wind another time, I'll be better prepared.

On Sunday I noticed a cut above Brego's lip, that was like a 3-corner tear.  I mentioned it to Tim, who didn't seem all that concerned.  Monday afternoon, we decided to call the vet, and we took him over.  We found out that to be stitched, the wound really needs to be under 12 hours old.  But, Dr. Lory went ahead and cleaned it up, then we decided to have him try stitching it because after scrubbing it raw he thought it just might take.  Hopefully it will heal well, certainly better after being cleaned out than it would have if we'd left it alone.  He got a tetanus and other meds to keep it from infection, so that should help, too.